Odisha’s worst-ever encephalitis outbreak has killed 74 children in the Maoist-hit Malkangiri district, home to nearly 6.2 lakh people, mostly from the Scheduled Castes and tribes like Bondas, Koyas, Porajas and Didayis. Forty-seven of the deaths have been due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and 27 from Japanese Encephalitis (JE),” Dr Madan Mohan Pradhan, joint director of the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme in Odisha, said. Odisha first reported encephalitis cases in 2015, when 660 AES cases and 33 JE cases were detected. Till October 2, 2016, India reported 7,443 AES cases and 840 deaths, while JE has infected another 974 people and killed 167. Of these, 456 AES and 16 JE cases were from Odisha.

Source: Hindustan Times November 02, 2016 18:45 UTC